Bleach it out!

For this post I am going to do something a little bit different. I’ve mostly been posting DIY projects for your home and today I am going to do a project for your closet. A while ago I found a website that showed you how to tie-dye with bleach. I honestly don’t really care for the traditional tie-dye look. I think it looks slightly tacky with all the colours on a white shirt in a spiral pattern but this one is different. Instead of using dye, I am going to use bleach on a black shirt.

I will need the following to complete this project:

Black shirt (I bought one at Ardenes for $7); Clorox bleach; 2 pieces of wood (doesn’t matter what size); elastic bands; gloves; water; and a bucket.

To achieve a grid-like pattern, I folded the shirt like an accordion. I then placed it in between the 2 planks of wood and secured it with rubber bands.

I mixed 4 cups of bleach and 1 cup of water in a bucket and went outside. You should be wearing gloves when you are working with bleach and always be in a well-ventilated area. Once everything was ready, I put the shirt into the bleach and left it in there for a couple of seconds. make sure you try and cover all open areas of the shirt with the bleach. Don’t leave it in for too long because depending on the thread count the bleach can erode the fabric.

I let it sit for a while and watched it start to change colours. Once it turns a rusty colour, take it out of the bleach and rinse it with water.

Then unbind it and let it hang to dry. After it has dried, wash the shirt in a washing machine.

Here is the finished project! My sister so graciously agreed to model for the pictures. We really had no idea how to pose for them so this is what we came up with. We really like the shirt and have worn it a couple of times already. It looks great!